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This past weekend my step-brother-in-law gave me GT5 and a steering wheel and I've been playing it every evening. And although I'm not a hardcore racing sim driver (Mario Kart is more my style - foot to the floor) but I am having fun along with some frustration.
I'm currently up to level 8 and my current effort is trying to get around the Nuerburgring in less than 11 minutes. I'm within 10 seconds and that's with a few bounces off the Armco barriers. So I'm confident I'll get there with practice.
The same can't be said for the final International C license challenge which is a 2 lap race on a street course in Rome in an older Ferrari which handles like a go cart - it likes to spin out turning at high speed or turning while braking. So it's very easy to spin out and bump the barriers, which is an immediate fail. (So's hitting or being hit by another car.)
Part of the difficulty is the Intec steering wheel, specifically the pedals. Stepping on the gas, the game shows full throttle when the pedal is less than halfway down. This makes it more difficult to do less than full throttle. GT5 itself doesn't help either as the controller configuration menus don't provide information about what various options do and what can be changed.
A big part of GT5 is acquiring and tuning cars. This is enforced by races which require certain cars. Fortunately I was able to complete (and win) the first few races with Nissan mm-R prize car I got completing the A License. But then I tried the Vitz Race with the Yaris prize car and was promptly passed by the field. No matter how well I drove into and off the corners I'd lose ground on the straightaways. But once I bought race tires, a turbo and a engine management upgrade I again won handily. (Although the upgrades cost more than I won.)
But... the next two races require cars I don't have. So I have to either complete another event to get a prize car which meets the requirements or buy one, assuming one is available to buy from the "Car Dealer". (Fortunately there are lists on the Internet which will assist me.)
I'm just hoping that most of the races are more like the Nuerburgring challenge - achievable with practice; not requiring ultimate skill & tuning to eek out on a perfect run.
I'm currently up to level 8 and my current effort is trying to get around the Nuerburgring in less than 11 minutes. I'm within 10 seconds and that's with a few bounces off the Armco barriers. So I'm confident I'll get there with practice.
The same can't be said for the final International C license challenge which is a 2 lap race on a street course in Rome in an older Ferrari which handles like a go cart - it likes to spin out turning at high speed or turning while braking. So it's very easy to spin out and bump the barriers, which is an immediate fail. (So's hitting or being hit by another car.)
Part of the difficulty is the Intec steering wheel, specifically the pedals. Stepping on the gas, the game shows full throttle when the pedal is less than halfway down. This makes it more difficult to do less than full throttle. GT5 itself doesn't help either as the controller configuration menus don't provide information about what various options do and what can be changed.
A big part of GT5 is acquiring and tuning cars. This is enforced by races which require certain cars. Fortunately I was able to complete (and win) the first few races with Nissan mm-R prize car I got completing the A License. But then I tried the Vitz Race with the Yaris prize car and was promptly passed by the field. No matter how well I drove into and off the corners I'd lose ground on the straightaways. But once I bought race tires, a turbo and a engine management upgrade I again won handily. (Although the upgrades cost more than I won.)
But... the next two races require cars I don't have. So I have to either complete another event to get a prize car which meets the requirements or buy one, assuming one is available to buy from the "Car Dealer". (Fortunately there are lists on the Internet which will assist me.)
I'm just hoping that most of the races are more like the Nuerburgring challenge - achievable with practice; not requiring ultimate skill & tuning to eek out on a perfect run.
The last version of Gran Turismo that I had was GT4 for the PS2. I never did get very far in it, since they changed some of the rules from the earlier games which made it a more tedious process to acquire money and cars (you used to be able to win - and then sell - a given prize car more than once, but then they changed it so after winning a prize car once, you'd only won the measly cash prize).
I have GT for the PSP, but there are zero customization options for the car. You're stuck with the stock version of what you buy. Still, it's a pretty impressive version of the game, considering the system. It does have the Nuerburgring track in it, which I've been obsessing over. I'm trying to beat this guy's time in an '02 Impreza STi. I've gotten within about 8 seconds of him, but I still don't know the track quite well enough. Plus, the PSP control stick/pad/thingy is pretty dreadful for steering.
If (when) I get a PS3, GT5 will be among my first purchases, along with Mod Nation Racers, Split Second and Burnout Paradise. Burnout is one of the best arcade-racer franchises out there.
BTW - to keep the back-end of the Ferrari from kicking out so bad, try putting soft tires on the back, and medium tires on the front (if it lets you). I've found it helps balance out the handling on mid-engine, rear-wheel drive cars.